Tag Archives: botany bay

Kyeemagh Baths – Kyeemagh, NSW 2216

Kyeemagh means 'beautiful dawn' in the local aboriginal language. My experience in the pool Kyeemagh Baths don't get the best write-up of Sydney's swimming enclosures and many I spoke to on Botany Bay say they never go near the place. Certainly, until the day I finally got in the water at Kyeemagh, I had never seen anyone even paddling in the water here. The first problem is that unless you pick your tide - and high tide is the only real option at Kyeemagh - you have ankle deep water Read more [...]

Sandringham Baths – aka Vanston Baths, NSW 2219

My experience in the pool It was great to be back in the ocean water for my first swim of the new season at Sandringham Baths, which also seem to be called Vanston Baths, judging by the signposts near the pool. This is yet another of those netted enclosures on Botany Bay, but Sandringham is the most southerly (unless you count Kurnell) of that series of bathing areas that starts with Kyeemagh in the north and includes Brighton, Monterey and Ramsgate, with just the Dolls Point enclosure Read more [...]

Kurnell Baths – Silver Beach, Kurnell, NSW 2231

Kurnell is very close to the spot where Captain Cook first landed. No agreement on where the name Kurnell comes from, though. My experience in the pool Kurnell Baths at Silver Beach in Kurnell is just a stone's throw from where another Yorkshireman first landed his boat on Botany Bay back in 1770. I don't suppose Captain Cook's crew were too bothered about sharks back then, but Botany Bay has been the scene of quite a few attacks over the years, so I was glad to have the netted enclosure Read more [...]

Ramsgate Baths – Ramsgate Beach, NSW 2217

Named after theĀ Ramsgate in Kent, also a seaside resort. My experience in the pool The air temperature may have been up at 22C and the morning sun still warming the back of my neck as I undressed on the sand at Ramsgate Baths, but the water has got a whole lot cooler in the last few weeks. The guy who dipped in head first next to me and pushed off along the side of the shark net had a heavy duty swimming cap on, and this reminded me of the advice I received almost a year ago when I Read more [...]

Monterey Baths – Monterey, NSW 2217

Named after the Californian town, but only in the 1970s officially My experience in the pool Monterey Baths came as a bit of a surprise. I didn't even know they were there. Though better studying of another pool blogger who came here a few years ago should have been enough to make me keep an eye open for them (see the links below for their take on the baths). I had set out on a bright, warm morning in May to swim in the baths closest to the runway at Sydney Airport. But to swim in Kyeemagh Read more [...]

Brighton Baths – Brighton-le-Sands, NSW 2216

Named after the UK Brighton beach maybe, but why le Sands? Anyone know? My experience in the pool They call Brighton-Le-Sands 'Little Greece'. I didn't know this when I arrived for my swim at Brighton Baths but virtually all the old guys lounging around the beach seemed to be speaking a language that sounded a lot like Greek (not that I'm a Greek speaker myself), but since I'd passed Greek restaurants, Greek lawyers, Greek travel places, I kind of guessed. The Brighton Baths Athletic Read more [...]